Perpetua Murungweni

The Zimbabwe Republic Police (ZRP) June, 12 2023, were urged to shun corruption by all means necessary as it sends wrong message to the public.
This came out during a training programme for ZRP Victim Very Unity officers (VFU) held at Chevron Hotel, which was organized by Legal Resources Foundation (LRF) an organization that promotes human rights and access to justice.
Speaking during the training programme, Inspector Ngwarai Muchini who is a Provincial Training Officer urged fellow police officer to shun corruption saying corruption portrays a bad image of the force in the eyes of the public.
“As police officers we have to avoid corruption as it pollutes our work and sends a wrong message to the public. Corruption is an abuse to a public office. Corruption affects the relationship between officers and the public, especially those in VFU department because they are the ones who deal with victims, victims needs to be helped rather than be handled.
“Police officers need to stay away from corrupt activities so that they will be able to help the public and enforce the law effectively.
“There is also need for police officers to desist from corruption because it portrays lack good leadership and it affects the proper system of a country,” said Muchini.
Muchini also said corruption usually affects the public more as it widens the gap between the rich and the poor.
“Corruption usually affects the public because there will be a wide gap between the poor the rich, as the rich will use bribes to get away from the law, yet the poor will rot in prisons. Corruption also breeds insecurities within the public people will not be able report sensitive matters to the police and they will be deprived of their right to justice,” said Muchini.
Speaking during the same workshop, Inspector Edward Madhumira said the police should respect rights of the accused persons in order to reduce corruption.
“The police should be able to respect the rights of the accused people so as to reduce corruption, the public usually offers bribes as a way out because sometimes they will be mistreated and their rights will be violated,” said Madhumira.
Sergeant Xavieria Shawarira also urged VFU police officers to practice good customer care in dealing with both victims and the accused persons.
“Police officers should practice good customer service by showing empathy to the victims and avoid being rude because it creates a good relation between them and the victims. The police should not use negative language to victims and accused persons because it instills fear in victims and the accused persons,” said Shawarira.
LRF senior programs lawyer Sharon Moffat said the program was meant to help law enforcement to the VFU officers and allow police to know the latest law enforcements trends and how to address issues from the court.
“The program is meant to improve the quality and standards of law of enforcement especially the VFU officers and it helps the police to catch up with the latest trends in law enforcement how to handle and address issues from the courts that since we have invited National Prosecuting Council (NPC) and Judicial Service Commission (JSC). It is also an opportunity to discuss and find solutions to challenges that VFU officers are facing especially when it comes to the court systems,” said Moffat.

…as Councillors threatens actions on dozing engineering department staff

Tinaani Nyabereka

MIDLANDS – Gweru City Council Mayor Hamutendi Kombayi has ordered the local authority to buy a new grader as the road network in the city are in a deplorable state.
He said a number of roads were bad and inaccessible in wards as the grader and tippers for gravelling purposes were hardly allocated schedules to work in residential areas.
“Roads are hardly being graded and tippers don’t have a proper schedule, what is happening. Instead of telling us about the broken grader, go and buy a new grader. We need to hear of this next month.” he said
Ward 8 Councillor, Notai Dzika said the schedules for gravelling roads was not transparent.
“I want the engineer to tell us how the grader and tippers is working. I don’t understand the time allocated to each ward in terms of getting these vehicles to work.
“We are afraid to present schedules to residents as things change anytime. Give us the proper information so that we inform our people well,” He said.
Gweru City Council Director of Engineering, Masauso Store said the challenges which was affecting the distribution of gravel was the availability of resources.
“Am not sure if we have councillors who have not received gravel in their wards but we made sure that all wards are covered but the challenge we have is that those tippers need a lot of fuel, for the tippers to operate the whole day they need more than 100litres per truck, so we don’t have much, we need resources to fully operate,” said Store.
Ward 3 councillor, Doubt Ncube however said there was need to tighten screws on management as most people in the engineering department as sleeping on duty.
“We have a lot of people who are sleeping on duty on the management side. Roads are bad because we are not getting the truth. We go and lay complaints about roads but nothing is being done,”
“Many a times I have relayed complaints about my ward to the engineers but it’s shocking that none has been attended to. Where are we going as a city if that is the situation? I therefore implore this council to employ strict measures which needs someone to go home if need be.” Said Ncube.
However, Ward 4 Councillor, Martin Chivhoko bemoaned selection criteria for roads that goes under Emergency Roads Rehabilitation Program (ERRP) as some areas were lagging.
“Some of the roads need to be adopted under the ERRP, we have a lot of roads being skipped in a number of wards because we don’t know the criteria being used in selecting the roads.” he added.
Despite roads, Gweru continues to face a number of depreciating infrastructure including traffic lights with some being none functional for a number of years now

Beatific Gumbwanda

CHIREDZI-Chiredzi Residents and Ratepayers Association (CHIRRA) have called Chiredzi Town and Chiredzi Rural Councils to terminate the land development contract with Full Life Open Arms Africa Investments (FLOAAI) after it allegedly breached the memorandum of understanding by selling stands to desperate land seekers without prior knowledge of the land ‘owners.
FLOAAI did the feasibility study for the 750 Hectares on the remainder of Buffalo Range which is meant for urban expansion and was mandated to develop 350 ha phase 1 and hand it over to Chiredzi Town and Rural District Councils, who are currently in the Joint Venture on the piece of land.
The developer allegedly seized the whole project and began selling land to desperate home seekers including Teachers under the Zimbabwe Teachers Association (ZIMTA) banner who were recently shown stands however without proper documentation to prove ownership.
In a letter dated June 6, 2023, CHIRRA wrote to the Joint Venture committee, comprising of technocrats and councilors from both the councils, requesting them to terminate the land development contract with FLOAAI for breaching the contents of the Memorandum of understanding which was signed in 2020.
“We are kindly requesting and urging you, the Joint Venture Committee with the powers invested in you to terminate the land development agreement between the land owners, CTC and CDRC and the developer, Full Life Open Arms Africa Investment private limited signed on Thursday 16th of April 2020.
“The developer started selling unserviced and underdeveloped stands in 2021 to corporate companies, teachers in all seven districts of Masvingo Province, and to Chiredzi Residents at US$20.60 per square meter. Residential, industrial, commercial and institutions which is against the land development agreement on clause 1. And in the land development agreement there is no Clause that allows or permits the developer to sell stands be it serviced or unserviced. Also, it is illegal to sell unserviced land in terms of Regional Town Planning and Country planning Act Section 39,” reads part of the letter.
This was necessitated by both councils resolving to stop FLOAAI from selling the land, which is their sole prerogative role.
Chiredzi Rural District Council, on the 16th of May 2023 resolved to stop FLOAAI from selling stands.
“That the joint venture committee stops Full Life Open Arms Africa Investments from selling stands at the 750Ha remainder of Buffalo Range Housing Scheme with immediate effect.
“That Full Life Open Arms Africa Investments be asked to bring a report to account for the stands they sold at the 750Ha remainder of Buffalo Range, to the joint venture committee and failure to do so, the two local authorities should terminate their contract,” reads the minutes.
Chiredzi Town Council’s 35th Ordinary Full council meeting also resolved to stop FLOAAI from selling the stands.
“Full Life Open Arms Africa Investments (PVT) Ltd (FLOAAI) must stop forthwith from disposing stands without seeking authority from both councils through the 750-ha housing Scheme Joint Committee. Stands should be disposed after issuance of certificate of compliance and in agreement with the stand distribution amongst parts as stated in 750hs housing scheme MOU,” read the resolution.
“Furthermore, FLOAAI (Pvt) Limited is urged to complete servicing of 350hs phase 1 project and handover the serviced project to both councils before sharing and sale thereof,” reads the minutes.
CHIRRA also filed a High Court interdict to stop the activities of FLOAAI.

Cephas Shava

Mwenezi – Long neglected Chikokoko Primary School in remote Mwenezi East’s ward 13 which, since its inception in 2003, has been operating without a single classroom block had its site finally pegged making it officially permanent following a recent report by TellZimNews which exposed the dire conditions which innocent ‘forgotten’ pupils had been accustomed to for several years now.
Soon after the report a team comprising of Mwenezi District Development Coordinator (DDC) Isaac Mutambara, Chief Chitanga born Feleni Chauke , education officials, local Authority representatives, local leadership and other concerned stakeholders convened at Chikokoko Primary School on Wednesday, June 7, where a consensus was reached and the school’s site was finally pegged on a 12 hectare piece of land.
Mwenezi DDC Mutambara confirmed the visit vowing that within two months some classroom blocks would have been erected at Chikokoko Primary School’s new site.
“All concerned stakeholders including Chief Chitanga himself were on the ground at Chikokoko Primary School where the Department of Physical Planning finally managed to peg the school’s site. We are more than ready to urgently work on this school and I can safely tell you that within two months some classroom blocks would have been erected as some material is already available at the site, “said Mutambara.
On her part, the local village head, Selina Mandindani who is also the School Development Committee (SDC) member expressed gratitude over the development saying she was already in the process of mobilizing locals in clearing the new school site.
She said the unbearable conditions at the school which has made parents to devalue the significance of sending their children to Chikokoko as well as the unfavorable conditions which has forced teachers not to stay longer there is definitely going to be the thing of the past.
“The community is really happy as the authorities finally responded to our long unanswered calls. The school’s site was pegged just adjacent to the site where the current schools’ makeshift structures are situated. We have mobilized locals and the clearance of the area has begun.
“We are hoping that authorities will also expeditiously peg a secondary school nearby because as it stands we do not have any in our area. The nearest Secondary School is about 23 kilometers away,” said Mandindani.
The seriously understaffed school where grades are combined has about 230 pupils and is manned by four female teachers.
During lessons pupils sit on the ground under makeshift structures built of wooden poles with grass thatched roofs. Teachers and pupils share only two toilets which are available for the entire school.
The two decade delay in the pegging of the School’s site has necessitated underdevelopment resulting in pupils conducting lessons under unimaginable conditions since time immemorial.
Mwenezi District, which is largely resettlement has very few schools and a number of communities have their children travel very long distances to the nearest school.
Last year during the official commissioning of a classroom block at one such school Turf Nyangambe Primary School, Mwenezi West MP Priscilla Zindari Moyo said bearucracy was hindering development in Mwenezi as communities were being tossed around offices before being approved to do development like constructing schools.

Tinaani Nyabereka

MIDLANDS – Gweru Residents and Ratepayers Association (GRRA) has set up a burial society as efforts to assist resident in times of difficulty and grief.
The development was confirmed by the Association’s Programs Officer, Fadzai Kanyai during an engagement with the GRRA’s wards chairpersons.
Kanyai highlighted that residents were struggling to give their loved ones a decent funeral and burial, a decision which then prompted the Association to come up with a burial society.
“The concept behind the establishment of the burial society comes at a time the Association realized that residents are struggling to give their loved ones a decent burial.
“So the society through its ward structures decided to establish a burial society which gives every resident room to be involved without much financial restrictions.
“So the society has subscriptions which are going to be paid as set by its committee and they are a US$1 per month and subject to review with time. However for one to join the society he or she is required to be a member of the association first and our funeral cover is very flexible in a way that once one becomes a member of GRRA he can then join five members of his family as beneficiaries in this funeral cover.” she added.
She further added that GRRA was moving forward in implementing its Citizen Participation project under Diakonia.
“We are continuing enhancing our citizen participation a development which entails that gaps are still existing in our communities.
“So as a consortium we are still a implementing the project, because we are looking at citizens participation and leadership where we want them (residents) to be actively involved in governance issues.
“Of cause we have a lot of success stories we have realized in Gweru our relation with the local authority need to be constantly maintained.
“We are also focusing on the issue of citizen involvement where we are looking at youths and women whom we feel should own properties and be aware of their roles in service provision issues in line with governance. It is also good if youths take a leading role in leadership.” she added.
However part of the funeral cover includes tentative amounts of US$150 which is set to benefit a member if he or she dies while beneficiaries get tentative flat amount of US$75 .
GRRA Burial society Chairperson, Silas Mutendeutswa however urged other ward chairpersons to inform the residents on the initiative saying people were supposed to play a pivotal role in driving issues which concern them
Some of the society members include, Ward 15 GRRA chairperson, Ignatio Makaza who was nominated secretary, ward 8 GRRA chairperson, Sarudzai Mhlanga who was nominated vice chairperson, Siphiwe Nzira who was nominated Treasury among other committee members